• Dahianna Lopez CV Nov 2016
    Thank you for visiting my webpage!

    I am a recent graduate of the Health Policy PhD program at Harvard. It is a collaborative between six schools at Harvard, including the Schools of Public Health, Government, Medicine, Law, Business, and Arts & Sciences.  

    My Career at a Glance: 

    From 2011 to 2016, I was a part of the research team at the Harvard Injury Control and Research Center at Harvard School of Public Health. Prior to that, from 2009-2011,  I was the Injury Prevention Director for the San Francisco Injury Center (SFIC) at the University of California, San Francisco. From 2005 -2007,  I developed and implemented the Patient Education Resource Center at the West Los Angeles Veterans Administration Hospital. In 2003, I worked my first full-time job as a research assistant in various departments at UCLA, including Psychiatry, Nursing, and Psychology. 

    Education: 

    I have a PhD in Health Policy from Harvard, two master's degrees in Public Health and Nursing from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and a BA in Psychology from the University of California at Berkeley.

    Personal Background: 

    I was born in Mexico City and moved to the United States at the age of 7. I grew up in Long Beach, California and later attended inner-city schools in Los Angeles that focused on empowering underserved students to enter careers in theater, film, and television. Rather than pursuing a career in the arts after finishing high school, I chose academia because of my interest in human behavior and science. My two incredible working class parents left their countries and sacrificed a lot to  ensure that I could dream. 

    As I got older, I realized that my true calling was public service. By answering the call, I have had wonderful opportunities working in City government in two major cities and have won prestigious public service awards including the Harvard Presidential Fellowship in Public Service and the Chancellor's Public Service Award at the University of California, San Francisco. I am thankful every day for the opportunity to make a positive impact, even a small one, on society. 

    Hobbies:

    I am a musician and dancer. I have played the guitar since the age of 10 and took up the drums several years ago. My favorite band is Led Zeppelin and my favorite drummer is John Bonham. I take private percussion lessons from an outstanding professor at the Berklee College of Music. I also dance salsa and Zumba and enjoy making "DIY" rock n' roll shirts for women. Lastly, I love the outdoors-- especially hiking.